The "Dog Days of Summer"

This is the time of year when things start to slow down a little in the office. Teachers and students are off for summer break. People are coming and going on their vacations or out on mission trips. So while its quiet and the phones aren't ringing as much, we would like to share with you some of the staff and their "Doggies". These are faithful and loving companions and after a while dogs begin to look like their owners (or is that the other way around?). So here are the entries:

These two lovely dogs belong to Ron and Nancy. They love to go hunting and run through the dahlias. They also love to ride in the back seat of the Subaru and pick up Nancy from work. One of these is on anti-anxiety drugs. Can you guess which one?

This is an entry from Cherianne. Actually she doesn't like pugs but sent this picture to cleanse her memory from a bad college experience. You'll have to ask Cherianne for details.

Now here is a little cutie that was submitted by Kerry. He doesn't own a dog but thought this one was cute and wanted it to be included. I think if Kerry had a dog, it would look just like this.

This one belongs to one of our Buildings & Grounds guys, Daron. She is a very sweet little dog until you move the wrong way and then she bites your head off! Isn't she cute?

Have you seen this puppy?

Santa Barbara, California, USA

Sam is a 14-year-old pedigreed Chinese crested and a three-time champ in the World's Ugliest Dog Contest. He is the dog of Susie Lockheed's dreams, a toad that will turn into a prince.

Sam is totally hairless. He has blackheads all over his skin, along with brown warts and moles.

His right eye appears reddish-purple from cataracts. His left eye is milky white.

Sam is one of four hairless dogs that hang out on the couch in Susie Lockheed's Santa Barbara home, where she operates a beauty salon. Susie gets allergies from furry animals--not from Sam. Now she can cuddle without worries. She can scratch fleshy, thin, potato-chip ears and run her fingers through the small patches of white hair on his head.

During the past few years, Sam has gone blind and suffered illness. He has also helped Susie survive treatment for thyroid cancer.

After drinking a radioactive iodine treatment, Lockheed had to stay at home for five days, and her entire room had to be covered in plastic--even the telephone. Friends had to leave food by her door because of the radiation. But she wasn't alone--Sam stayed with her. The two enjoyed lounging and watching television. Sam never left her except to visit the side yard through his doggy door. The two have been inseparable ever since. Now Sam cries when Lockheed isn't around.

People are made for dogs!
(Note: this last entry was an article not written by me (Linda) but was too funny to leave out. Now that's one ugly dog!)

SUMMERTIME FAMILY CAMPING

Camping with the family is always something I (Linda) look forward to in the summertime. Especially when we take our home with us like the RV in the picture. There is always lots of food, fun and fire (campfires that is) to make for a relaxing time. On this trip we went north about 100 miles up in Washington state to American Heritage RV Park. The place was great. It was like a blast from the past. Very quaint and clean. The park hosts were very friendly. And we were in a beautiful woodsy setting. Here Mike and his sister, Terri, are enjoying their morning coffee.

There are a lot of conversations around the campfire. In this picture Mom is talking about "World Peace" to her granddaughter, Amy, and her great-grandson, Crew. They live in Kirkland, WA and came down to camp with us. Crew and his older brother, Dominic, had a great time and were great little campers. We were able to visit some animals in a little barnyard out by the edge of camp. And they even had a old-fashioned "Hay Ride" that traveled all around the campground pulled by an antique tractor.

Good memories were had by all! I'm hungry for smores! When's the next trip?